Puerto Rico to Become a State?

On November 6th, Puerto Ricans had their opportunity to share their opinion of whether or not to become an U.S. state. But the results are a little confusing.

Puerto Rico was obtained by the United States in 1898 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. In 1900, Puerto Rico was granted a civilian government under the Foraker Act. Though, for many decades leading up to present day, it has been debated whether or not to grant Puerto Rico statehood.

So last Tuesday, Puerto Ricans voiced their opinions concerning the recent relationship with the U.S. in a poll. The poll asked two questions: if they favored the current relationship with the U.S., and if the voters would prefer statehood, to become an independent country or be a freely associated state.

The majority of the people who didn’t leave the question blank, voted for becoming a state, the first time that that has happened in a long time. But because so many left the question blank, it technically isn’t considered a “win” for statehood. From here, the results will be forwarded on to Congress and the White House, who will determine whether or not to initiate the process to create a new state.

So with so much buzz surrounding the possibility of statehood for Puerto Rico, that means that having 51 states would require a flag change.

If there is to be a star added to the current U.S. flag, where would it go? How would the new flag look? How would you design the 51-star flag?